Twice Weekly COVID-19 Check-In Meetings

Tuesday, May 12, 2020 WELCOME!!!!

Tuesday’s (General) & Friday’s (Contractor Focus), 9:00 am – 10:00 am

COVID-19 WA Emergency Food Box Initiative Office of the Governor – JT Austin Washington State Department of Agriculture – Director Derek SandisonFood Lifeline – Linda NageotteNorthwest Harvest – Thomas ReynoldsSecond Harvest – Jason Clark

Questions, Feedback and Clarifications

Friday, May 15th 9:00 am – 10:00 am (Contractor Focus)

Today’s Focus

Schedule

Next Mtg.

Q&A

Food Security Coordination Team

State & Federal Nutrition Assistance

Programs

WIC

SNAP

Child Nutrition

Senior Nutrition

Fruit & Veg Incentives

WSDA

Food Assistance Programs

EFAP COVID-19 Discretionary Pilot(s)

AMI Pilot

Charlie’s Produce Pilot

WA Emergency Food Boxes

WA Food Fund/ Philanthropy

Northwest

Northwest Harvest

Food Lifeline

Second Harvest

COVID Supply Procurement

Sanitizer

Cloth Masks

PPE – pending

Additional packaging - pending

Food Supply Chain & Farmworker Safety

WSDA’s Response to COVID-19

• State agencies are working in together to maximize food and nutrition program benefits for low-income and newly unemployed people in order to increase food access and reduce demand for food banks.

• WSDA has contracted with Food Lifeline, Northwest Harvest and Second Harvest to procure, pack and distribute 150,000 – 300,000 emergency food boxes per week to increase food access at food banks statewide.

• Strategic enhancements to Food Assistance programs – including $1.5 million invested into EFAP in April and pilots with Charlie’s produce and AMI launched in May.

Counties Served with Emergency Food Boxes

Served directly by Food Lifeline (91 agencies/programs)Central, North and East King CountyIsland County

Served by Olympic Community Action Program (6 agencies / programs)Clallam County Jefferson County

Served through Lower Columbia CAP (11 agencies / programs)Cowlitz County

Served through Bellingham Food Bank (11 agencies / programs)Whatcom CountySan Juan County

Served by Bremerton Foodline (11 agencies / programs)Kitsap County

Served through Lewis County Food Bank (12 agencies / programs)Lewis County

Served through Mason County Division of Emergency Management (8 agencies / programs)Mason County

Served through Thurston County Food Bank (5 agencies / programs)Thurston County

Served through Community Action Skagit (17 agencies / programs)Skagit County

Served through Volunteers of America, Everett (28 agencies / programs)Snohomish County 11

Planned & Additional Strategies to Distribute Emergency Food & Food Boxes

• Partnership with the City of Seattle, United Way of King County & King County Metro Providing home delivery to individuals unable to visit a food bank

• Partnership with FareStart, Seattle Public Schools, Seattle Housing Authority and King County Authority Providing community distributions of emergency food boxes at SPS meal distribution sites, and at

housing complexes

• Partnership with Simon Properties and Team Rubicon “Grey Shirts” Providing community distributions of emergency food boxes at properties such as malls

• Partnering with Universities and Community Colleges Providing community distributions at various campus locations

• Conducting Direct Drive-Through and Walk-Up Distributions At Food Lifeline’s Hunger Solution Center in South Park At Food Lifeline’s COVID-19 Response Warehouse in SODO

Emergency Food Box Program Information

“Ideal” Box Menu

Canned Fruit Canned Vegetable

Canned Meat Non-Meat Protein

Canned Soup/Stew/Chili Mac and Cheese

Cereal / Oatmeal Nut Butter

Rice Shelf-Stable Milk

Average weight: 20 lbs.

Average # Meals: 16

Ongoing Challenges: • Supply chain disruptions mean some box products are not available in adequate quantity.• Substitutions / alternative menus will be necessary – sometimes with larger pack sizes,

fresh vs. canned, similar type product (pasta for Mac and Cheese), etc.

We invite your feedback:• Please contact us at: AgencyRelations@FoodLifeline.org with any questions or concerns• Please let us know of other communities or organizations that may need access to food boxes

Our Quality Metrics All food is good, healthy, and packed in the right proportions

Communication is clear and timely with sub-distributors and pantries

Distribution is determined through an equity filter—Centering communities with:

Larger concentrations of job losses

Higher concentrations of people of color

Single parent households

Families know where to go for food

Families who take home emergency boxes aren't reporting stigma or discrimination

Our Equity Filter What equitable outcomes are achieved by this decision, policy,

program, or practice?

Which stakeholders did the process intentionally and meaningfully include to reach a conclusion?

How does the conclusion have potential to do harm to people with lived experiences of oppression (generally) and with lived experiences of hunger (specifically)?

How does the conclusion advantage people and/or groups who have traditionally benefited from privilege—thus risking perpetuation of the status quo?

Distribution The targeted breakdown* of

Emergency Food Boxes by county:

Chelan 3 % Clark 13 % Douglas 2 % Grays Harbor 3 % King (South) 30 % Kittitas 2 % Klickitat 2 % Okanogan 2 % Pacific 1 % Pierce 31 % Skamania 1 % Wahkiakum 1 % Yakima 10 % *Approximate percentage

Types of Food Standard Shelf-stable Emergency Food Box

Vegetarian Emergency Food Box

Ready-to-eat Emergency Food Box

Fresh Emergency Food Box

Counties Served with Emergency Food Boxes

Served directly by Second Harvest (46 agencies/programs)Spokane CountyWhitman CountyBenton CountyFranklin County

Served through Moses Lake Food Bank (14 agencies / programs)Grant CountyAdams CountyLincoln County

Served through Blue Mountain Action Council (6 agencies / programs)Walla Walla CountyAsotin CountyColumbia CountyGarfield County

Served through Rural Resources (15 agencies / programs)Stevens CountyFerry CountyPend Oreille County

Healthy Food. Every Person. Every Day.

Planned & Additional Strategies to Distribute Emergency Food & Food Boxes

• Partnership with the Spokane Food Fighters Providing home delivery to individuals unable to visit a food bank Providing additional fresh and frozen food boxes

• Partnership with At the Core and Spokane Public Schools Providing community distributions of emergency food boxes at SPS meal distribution sites, and at

housing complexes Providing additional fresh and frozen food boxes

• Partnering with Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick Direct drive-through community distributions at the convention center Providing additional fresh and frozen food boxes

• Conducting Direct Drive-Through and Walk-Up Distributions Through Second Harvest Mobile Market Events at various locations as needed At Second Harvest’s Spokane Distribution Center as needed Providing additional fresh and frozen food boxes

Healthy Food. Every Person. Every Day.

Emergency Food Box Program Information

“Ideal” Box Menu

Canned Fruit / Juice Canned Vegetable

Canned Meat Non-Meat Protein

Canned Soup/Stew/Chili Mac and Cheese

Cereal / Oatmeal Nut Butter

Rice Shelf-Stable Milk

Average weight: 17 lbs.

Average # Meals: 14

Ongoing Challenges: • Supply chain disruptions mean some box products are not available in adequate quantity.• Substitutions / alternative menus will be necessary – sometimes with larger pack sizes,

similar type product (pasta or skillet meal for Mac and Cheese), etc.

We invite your feedback:• Please contact us at: wafoodfund@2-harvest.org with any questions or concerns• Please let us know of other communities or organizations that may need access to food boxes

Healthy Food. Every Person. Every Day.

Food Security Weekly Needs Assessment

• State agencies, tribes, and one lead food bank per county are being asked to contribute weekly data to inform policy makers and future hunger relief strategies in the coming weeks and months. • Understanding the need –

• Food Bank visits• Free and Reduced Lunch Enrollment• Seniors living in Poverty • New Unemployment Claims

• Monitoring available resources –• SNAP• School and Summer Meals• Meals on Wheels• Food Banks – 1) Food 2) Human Resources 3) COVID Specific Supplies 4) Capacity

• Weekly reporting allows us to gather and fulfill resources requests and respond to emergent issues quickly

Food Security Weekly Needs Assessment

• State agencies, tribes, and one lead food bank per county are being asked to gather and report weekly data from hunger relief organizations throughout the county to inform policy makers and future hunger relief strategies in the coming weeks and months. • Understanding the need –

• Food Bank visits• Free and Reduced Lunch Enrollment• Seniors living in Poverty • New Unemployment Claims

• Monitoring available resources –• SNAP• School and Summer Meals• Meals on Wheels• Food Banks – 1) Food 2) Human Resources 3) COVID Specific Supplies 4) Capacity

• Weekly reporting allows us to gather and fulfill resources requests and respond to emergent issues quickly

Questions & Answers